In 2001 there were 103,100 marriages registered in Australia, the lowest number recorded since 1978 (103,000). The 2001 figure was a decrease of 10,300 marriages when compared with 2000 and a decrease of 10,800 marriages when compared with 1981.

While marriage rates per 1,000 unmarried population (aged 15 years and over) are not yet available for 2001, the marriage rate trend since 1981 shows that marriage is declining. Marriage rates for the unmarried population fell in 2000 to 34 per 1,000 unmarried men and 32 per 1,000 unmarried women from 35 and 33, respectively in 1999 and 55 and 53, respectively in 1981.

There were 55,300 divorces granted in Australia in 2001, the highest number granted in the last 20 years. This was an increase of 5,400 on the number of divorces granted in 2000 and an increase of 13,900 on 1981.

Divorce rates for the married population are not yet available for 2001. However, since 1981 divorce rates, while fluctuating, have shown an increasing trend. In 1987 the divorce rate was at a low of 11 divorces per 1,000 married population. Since 1987, divorce rates, while still fluctuating, have shown an upward trend to a high of 13 in 1996. The divorce rate in 2000 was 12.

MARRIAGE RATES(a) AND DIVORCE RATES(b)

(a) Per 1,000 unmarried men or women, aged 15 years and over.(b) Per 1,000 married men or women, aged 15 years and over.

INTRODUCTION OF THE FEDERAL MAGISTRATES SERVICE

In September 2000 the Federal Magistrates Service was introduced. The Federal Magistrates Service was established to provide a simpler and accessible service for litigants and to ease the workload of both the Family Court of Australia and the Federal Court of Australia.

In 2001, the first full year of operation, 51% of all divorces granted were dealt with by the Federal Magistrates Service.

INTERNATIONAL COMPARISONS

The crude marriage rate in Australia of 5.3 per 1,000 population in 2001 was lower than in the United States of America (8.3 per 1,000 in 1998), the same as New Zealand (5.3 in 1998) and above that of the United Kingdom (5.1 in 1998) and Canada (5.1 in 1997).

The crude divorce rate in Australia was 2.8 per 1,000 population in 2001. It was lower than the United States of America (4.2 per 1,000 in 1998) and the United Kingdom (2.9 in 1996) and higher than New Zealand (2.7 in 1998) and Canada (2.3 in 1997).

LIKELIHOOD TO MARRY AND DIVORCE

The proportion of men and women who will ever marry is declining. If the 1997-1999 first marriage rates were to continue into the future it is estimated that 29% of men and 23% of women will never marry. The corresponding proportions based on 1985-1987 rates were 21% and 14%, respectively.

The likelihood of a marriage ending in divorce is increasing. If the 1997-1999 rates for marriage, widowing, divorce, remarriage and mortality were applied to a newly-born group of babies 32% of their marriages would end in divorce. This is an increase on the proportion expected if 1985-1987 rates were applied (28%).

AGE AT MARRIAGE AND DIVORCE

The trend towards older age at marriage continued in 2001. The median age at marriage for men was 31 years, rising from 26 years in 1981. For women the median age rose to 29 years in 2001 from 23 years in 1981. The median age at first marriage also rose. In 2001 it was 29 years for men, increasing from 24 years in 1981. For women, the median age at first marriage was 27 years in 2001, increasing from 22 years in 1981.

In line with the increasing age at marriage the median age at divorce also rose. In 2001 the median age at divorce for men was 42 years (up from 36 years in 1981) and 39 years for women (up from 33 years in 1981).

DURATION OF MARRIAGE FOR DIVORCING COUPLES

In 2001, 17% of couples had divorced within the first five years of marriage, while a further 26% had divorced in the following five-year period. The most common single interval between marriage and divorce was between five and six years (6%). In 2001 the median duration of marriage to divorce was 12 years, up from 10 years in 1981.

CHILDREN OF REMARRIAGE AND DIVORCE

In 2001, 33% each of grooms and brides who remarried had children (aged under 16 years) from previous marriages. This was double the proportions in 1981 when 16% of grooms and 17% of brides remarrying had children.

The proportion of divorces involving children has fallen over the last 20 years. In 2001 51% of divorces granted involved children, down from 61% in 1981. However, because of the increase in the number of divorces (up by 34%) the number of children involved in divorce has increased. In 2001, 53,400 children were involved in divorce, up from 49,600 in 1981.

CATEGORY OF CELEBRANT

Marriages performed by civil celebrants now outnumber marriages performed by ministers of religion. In 2001, for the third successive year, 53% of all marriages were performed by civil celebrants, compared with 38% in 1981.

COHABITATION PRIOR TO MARRIAGE

The proportion of men and women choosing to cohabit prior to entering a registered marriage continued to rise. In 2001, 72% of couples indicated they had cohabited prior to marriage compared with 31% in 1981.

MARITAL STATUS OF THE POPULATION

The estimated resident population, aged 15 years and over, by marital status at 30 June 2001 is not yet available. The total population, aged 15 years and over, is 15.5 million people at 30 June 2001. The latest available marital status estimates are at 30 June 2000.

In June 2000 there were 15.2 million people aged 15 years and over in the population, a rise of 14% on 1990. The 2000 population was comprised of 4.9 million never married, 8.3 million married, 932,000 widowed and 1.1 million divorced persons. The largest proportional increase over the past ten years was in the divorced population, increasing by 63% between 1990 and 2000.

Between 1990 and 2000 the median age of the population, aged 15 years and over, increased from 39 years in 1990 to 42 years in 2000. The increase in the median age is evident in each marital status and for both males and females).

MARRIAGES, SUMMARY DATA, 2001

NSW

Vic.

Qld

SA

WA

Tas.

NT

ACT

Aust.

ALL MARRIAGES

Marriages registered

no.

36,109

24,953

20,314

7,434

9,785

2,182

781

1,572

103,130

Crude marriage rate

rate

5.5

5.2

5.6

4.9

5.1

4.6

3.9

4.9

5.3

Previous marital status

First marriage both partners

no.

24,728

17,292

13,000

4,804

6,273

1,337

493

1,060

68,987

First marriage one partner

no.

6,497

4,344

3,865

1,367

1,937

437

164

278

18,889

Remarriage both partners

no.

4,884

3,317

3,449

1,263

1,575

408

124

234

15,254

Marriages performed by

Ministers of religion

Number

no.

18,193

12,112

8,665

3,670

3,841

913

214

764

48,372

Proportion

%

50.4

48.5

42.7

49.4

39.3

41.8

27.4

48.6

46.9

Civil celebrants

Number

no.

17,916

12,841

11,649

3,764

5,944

1,269

567

808

54,758

Proportion

%

49.6

51.5

57.3

50.6

60.7

58.2

72.6

51.4

53.1

BRIDEGROOM

Age-specific marriage rates(a)

Age group (years)

19 and under

rate

1.0

0.7

1.0

0.5

0.8

0.7

0.5

1.0

0.9

20-24

rate

24.2

18.8

24.8

21.1

18.7

21.9

12.2

17.7

21.8

25-29

rate

49.6

48.4

47.9

45.6

41.7

43.3

21.2

41.0

47.2

30-34

rate

30.9

31.4

31.7

29.3

30.1

28.9

17.3

25.2

30.6

35-39

rate

16.5

16.0

17.2

14.7

16.4

16.0

12.3

13.8

16.2

40-44

rate

9.9

9.0

10.8

8.4

10.0

10.3

9.5

7.1

9.7

45-49

rate

6.6

6.6

7.5

7.0

7.3

7.3

7.5

6.3

6.9

50 and over

rate

3.1

2.8

3.9

3.3

3.6

3.2

3.5

3.8

3.3

Marital status at marriage

Never married

no.

27,781

19,303

14,843

5,465

7,176

1,547

566

1,168

77,849

Widowed

no.

654

500

420

195

206

63

11

35

2,084

Divorced

no.

7,674

5,150

5,051

1,774

2,403

572

204

369

23,197

Total

no.

36,109

24,953

20,314

7,434

9,785

2,182

781

1,572

103,130

Median age at marriage

Never married

years

28.6

28.9

28.5

28.7

29.0

28.7

29.5

28.1

28.7

Widowed

years

62.4

61.5

62.1

61.9

61.3

(b)n.p.

(b)n.p.

(b)n.p.

61.9

Divorced

years

42.7

42.7

43.3

44.0

43.4

43.6

44.1

42.8

43.1

Total

years

30.3

30.5

30.6

30.8

31.3

31.2

32.1

30.1

30.6

BRIDE

Age-specific marriage rates(a)

Age group (years)

19 and under

rate

5.5

3.5

4.2

3.0

3.1

3.0

3.0

3.3

4.2

20-24

rate

41.0

32.9

39.8

37.2

33.3

36.7

21.1

28.7

37.1

25-29

rate

49.3

48.7

48.7

48.5

46.0

44.2

22.8

39.1

48.0

30-34

rate

25.6

25.6

25.9

23.4

25.5

23.6

18.3

21.7

25.3

35-39

rate

11.9

11.7

12.3

12.1

12.4

11.4

10.8

11.2

12.0

40-44

rate

7.5

6.6

8.1

6.8

7.8

6.9

6.8

5.7

7.3

45-49

rate

5.5

5.1

6.3

6.0

5.8

6.3

5.0

4.5

5.6

50 and over

rate

1.6

1.6

2.3

1.9

2.1

1.9

2.8

2.0

1.8

Marital status at marriage

Never married

no.

28,172

19,625

15,022

5,510

7,307

1,564

584

1,230

79,014

Widowed

no.

712

502

522

229

243

81

19

28

2,336

Divorced

no.

7,225

4,826

4,770

1,695

2,235

537

178

314

21,780

Total

no.

36,109

24,953

20,314

7,434

9,785

2,182

781

1,572

103,130

Median age at marriage

Never married

years

26.7

27.3

26.6

26.8

27.1

26.7

27.9

26.9

26.9

Widowed

years

53.7

54.5

54.6

57.6

52.4

(b)n.p.

(b)n.p.

(b)n.p.

54.4

Divorced

years

39.0

39.4

39.6

40.1

39.9

40.1

38.9

40.2

39.5

Total

years

28.3

28.7

28.6

28.7

29.0

29.0

29.9

28.3

28.6

n.p. not available for publication but included in totals where applicable, unless otherwise indicated

(a) Per 1,000 males or females, respectively, at 30 June. Males and females under 15 years are excluded from the population.

(b) Not statistically reliable due to the small numbers involved.

DIVORCES, SUMMARY DATA, 2001

NSW

Vic.

Qld

SA

WA

Tas.

NT

ACT

Aust.

ALL DIVORCES

Divorces granted

no.

16,057

13,722

12,085

4,545

5,351

1,439

447

1,684

55,330

Crude divorce rate

rate

2.4

2.8

3.3

3.0

2.8

3.0

2.2

(a)

2.8

Median duration of marriage

years

10.9

11.9

11.8

12.6

12.6

13.3

10.3

12.3

11.8

Median interval between

marriage and final separation

years

7.5

8.5

8.3

9.1

9.2

9.7

7.1

8.8

8.3

Divorces involving children

Number

no.

7,306

7,169

6,600

2,451

2,905

809

211

894

28,345

Proportion of total divorces

%

45.5

52.2

54.6

53.9

54.3

56.2

47.2

53.1

51.2

Average issue

average

1.9

1.9

1.9

1.9

1.9

1.9

1.9

1.9

1.9

Applicant

Husband

no.

4,988

4,211

3,540

1,334

1,473

420

127

515

16,608

Wife

no.

7,294

6,372

6,027

2,271

2,510

715

162

684

26,035

Joint

no.

3,775

3,139

2,518

940

1,368

304

158

485

12,687

HUSBAND

Age-specific divorce rates(b)

Age group (years)

24 and under

rate

0.5

0.5

0.7

0.6

0.4

0.6

0.4

(a)

0.5

25-29

rate

5.6

6.2

7.7

6.1

5.2

7.1

4.5

(a)

6.2

30-34

rate

10.9

12.5

14.7

12.8

11.0

12.8

8.3

(a)

12.4

35-39

rate

11.8

13.9

15.9

14.2

13.0

15.6

9.3

(a)

13.6

40-44

rate

11.1

13.4

15.5

14.2

13.1

16.8

10.7

(a)

13.3

45-49

rate

10.2

12.3

13.5

12.9

12.4

13.1

8.1

(a)

12.0

50-54

rate

8.2

9.7

11.6

10.8

10.1

10.4

7.2

(a)

9.8

55 and over

rate

2.8

3.3

4.4

3.5

3.7

3.2

3.8

(a)

3.5

Median age of divorcee

At marriage

years

26.8

26.3

26.5

26.3

26.5

25.8

27.0

26.1

26.5

At final separation

years

38.1

38.2

38.6

38.9

39.1

39.1

37.5

38.6

38.4

At decree made absolute

years

41.5

41.6

42.0

42.4

42.5

42.2

40.7

41.9

41.8

WIFE

Age-specific divorce rates(b)

Age group (years)

24 and under

rate

1.2

1.2

1.4

1.3

1.2

1.1

1.2

(a)

1.3

25-29

rate

9.0

9.4

12.3

10.8

8.7

11.3

7.3

(a)

10.0

30-34

rate

12.8

14.1

16.2

15.2

13.4

14.9

11.6

(a)

14.2

35-39

rate

11.5

14.1

16.5

15.1

13.9

15.1

8.0

(a)

13.8

40-44

rate

11.2

12.6

14.3

13.6

12.8

15.1

11.1

(a)

12.8

45-49

rate

8.6

10.5

12.3

11.4

11.6

12.6

7.0

(a)

10.5

50-54

rate

6.2

7.3

8.6

7.9

7.6

7.5

7.5

(a)

7.4

55 and over

rate

1.4

1.8

2.4

1.9

1.8

1.9

2.0

(a)

1.8

Median age of divorcee

At marriage

years

24.3

24.0

23.9

23.9

23.8

23.6

23.9

23.7

24.0

At final separation

years

35.4

35.6

35.7

36.3

36.3

36.9

33.6

36.0

35.7

At decree made absolute

years

38.7

38.9

39.0

39.7

39.7

40.2

36.9

39.6

39.1

(a) Many divorces registered in the Australian Capital Territory involve applicants normally resident in areas surrounding the Australian Capital Territory. See paragraph 17 of the Explanatory Notes.

(b) Per 1,000 males or females, respectively, at 30 June. Males under 18 years and females under 16 years are excluded from the population.